1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a light module of a lighting device of a motor vehicle. The light module includes at least one passing-light sub-module for production of a dimmed-light distribution for the most part below an essentially horizontal “light/dark” boundary and at least one high-beam sub-module for the most part above the “light/dark” boundary. The light module includes further a common projection-lens system for dimming of light beams of all sub-modules in front of the motor vehicle for production of a desired resulting overall light distribution of the light module. Finally, the light module includes further a deflecting element that deflects a light-beam course of at least one of the sub-modules so that a deviated course of the beam paths of this at least one sub-module arises.
2. Description of Related Art
Such a light module is, for example, known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,387,416 B2. The lighting device described there includes an upper passing-light module with an LED light source and a primary lens system designed as a reflector for the bundling of the light beams emitted by the LED. The bundled light beams are obscured at least partially by a diaphragm arrangement arranged in the beam path. The diaphragm arrangement extends essentially on a horizontal plane including an optical axis of the light module and exhibits a reflecting surface as well as a front edge with a specified contour. The light passing by the diaphragm arrangement is projected in front of the motor vehicle by a projection-lens system designed as a projection lens for production for the resulting overall light distribution in the case of the passing-light module of a dimmed-light distribution (e.g., a dimmed-light distribution, fog-light distribution, or the like). In the process, the projection lens projects the front edge of the diaphragm arrangement as a “light/dark” boundary in front of the motor vehicle. Further, the known light module has a lower high-beam sub-module that likewise includes an LED light source and a primary lens system constructed as a reflector. The light beams emitted by the high-beam sub-module come upon a deflecting element that deviates all light-beam courses of the high-beam module and deflects them in the direction of the projection lens. A mirrored underside of the diaphragm arrangement serves as a deflecting element, wherein the high-beam sub-module and the deflecting element are constructed and coordinated in such a way that the light beams of the high-beam sub-module fall on the projection-lens system after being deflected by the deflecting element.
Therefore, in the case of the light module known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,387,416 B2, the beam path above and below the “light/dark” boundary is divided by two reflecting areas of the diaphragm arrangement, the two reflecting areas tapering sharply on the local plane of the projection lens to a knife edge. This edge has the contour of the desired “light/dark” boundary and is projected through the lens onto the lane.
In the case of the known light module, the high-beam sub-module, strictly speaking, does not produce any full-value high-beam light distribution. Instead, a full-value high-beam light distribution arises only through an overlaying or supplementing of the partial light distributions produced by the passing-light sub-module and the high-beam module. The high-beam module, thus, produces only a partial light distribution as part of the resulting overall light distribution, wherein the partial light distribution illuminates a region essentially above the “light/dark” boundary of the passing-light distribution. Hence, the partial light distributions of the passing-light sub-module and of the high-beam module overlay or supplement one another in the resulting overall light distribution to a full-value high-beam light distribution. In the process, however, the following problems arise: In the case of the overlaying of the partial light distributions of the passing-light sub-module and high-beam module in the region of the “light/dark” boundary of the passing-light distribution, a significantly visible, dark stripe arises in the overall light distribution. Due to the chromatic aberration of the projection lens, this dark stripe can significantly disturb the overall light distribution. Another problem arises from the fact that the partial light distribution produced by the high-beam module exhibits a significantly higher brightness than the dimmed-light distribution produced by the passing-light sub-module. Thus, in the resulting overall light distribution, a significantly more visible brightness gradient arises in the region of the “light/dark” boundary, which is likewise disturbing. The difficulty, thus, consists in separating the beam paths of the different light functions in such a way that, in the case of the passing light, no (or hardly any) light is scattered beyond the “light/dark” boundary since, otherwise, there can be a blinding of other road users and, in the case of the high-beam light, no dark or colored line remains in the area of the passing-light, “light/dark” boundary.
From JP 2006-107 875 A (JP 42-89268 B2), a light module with a passing-light sub-module and a high-beam module is likewise known. However, the known light module lacks a deflecting element to deflect a light-beam course from at least one of the sub-modules before it falls on the projection-lens system. Moreover, the high-beam module produces a full-value high-beam light distribution without requiring an overlaying with the passing-light distribution produced by the passing-light sub-module. In the case of this sub-module, the full-value high-beam light distribution is not produced by an overlaying or supplementing of the partial light distributions of the passing-light sub-module and the high-beam module, but, rather, solely by the high-beam module. In this respect, the problems addressed by the invention also do not arise with JP 2006-107 875 A—in particular, the problem of a dark shadow in the resulting overall light distribution in the region of the “light/dark” boundary of the passing-light distribution as well as chromatic aberrations in this region and high “brightness gradient” values). In the light-exit direction according to the projection-lens system constructed as the projection lens in the case of the known light module, an additional reflector is arranged, which deflects the light beams of the high-beam light distribution downward since these, otherwise, would appear far above the horizon. However, for styling reasons, such a reflector cannot be realized in practice ordinarily.
Further, a light module is known from DE 10 2010 021 937 A1, which likewise includes at least one passing-light sub-module and at least one high-beam module. Each of the sub-modules includes at least one LED light source as well as at least one primary lens system constructed as a light-conducting body and that bundles the light beams emitted by the LEDs by refraction and/or total internal reflection. Certain rear boundaries in the light-conducting body serve as deflecting elements to deflect the light-beam course of the sub-module assigned to the light-conducting body before it hits the projection-lens system. A full-value high-beam light distribution is likewise produced in the case of this known light module by an overlaying or supplementing of the partial light distributions of the passing-light sub-modules and of the high-beam modules. To solve the aforementioned problem, which is addressed by the invention, it is proposed that light-decoupling surfaces of the primary lens system of the high-beam module constructed as light-conducting bodies be arranged in the direction of an optical axis of the lighting device offset to the rear to light-decoupling surfaces of the primary lens system of the passing-light sub-module constructed as light-conducting bodies. In addition, a light-exit angle of the partial light distribution produced by the high-beam module is selected to be so large that the light distribution produced by the high-beam module overlays the passing-light distribution at least in the region of its “light/dark” boundary. In this way, the “light/dark” boundary should completely disappear in the event of the operation of the lighting device to produce a full-value high-beam light distribution as a resulting overall light distribution. However, in the process, it is disadvantageous that the light beams of the partial light distributions of the passing-light sub-module and the high-beam sub-module predominantly pass through different regions of the projection lens. This requires the use of a projection lens with a relatively large diameter whereas, in modern lighting devices (for reasons of space and design), frequently, the smallest possible projection lens (for example, the projection lens with the smallest possible diameter) must be used.
Proceeding from the described related art, the invention addresses the problem of ensuring that, in the case of a light module in which the partial light distributions of a passing-light sub-module and of a high-beam module overlay or supplement to a full-value high-beam light distribution as a resulting overall light distribution, in the resulting overall light distribution, an essentially horizontal “light/dark” boundary of the passing-light distribution is no longer visible or only very faintly visible and simultaneously facilitating the use of the smallest possible projection-lens system.